Partition-ring for flour dressing and bolting machines.



L. F. LITTLE.

PARTITION RING FOR FLOUR DRESSING AND BOLTING MACHINES.

APPHCATION FILED MAR. I. 1915.

Patented Nov; 23, 1915.

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Snow W010 Whine/00% LUCIUS FREEMAN LITTLE, OF OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE ANGLO- AMERICAN MILL C0., F- OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY, A CORPORATION OF KENTUCKY.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 11915.

Application filed March 1, 1915. Serial No. 11,268.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUCIUS FREEMAN LIT- TLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Owensboro, in the county of Daviess and State'of Kentucky, have invented new and usefullmprovements in Partition-Rings for .Flour Dressing and Bolting Machines, of .which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to mills, and particularly to that type of mill in which centrifugal dressers or bolting reels are provided for dressing out the flour, it being common in this type of bolting reel to provide one section with bolting cloth of fine mesh to separate the flour out as a finished product, the rest of the stock passing to the end sectionof the reel which is provided with fabric of coarser mesh, and in which last-named section the middlings are separated out, while the residu of the stock is tailed over from-the reel and subjected, if desired, to further reduction. In mills of this type with the bolting reels divided into flour separating and middlings separating sections with fabrics of fine and coarse mesh, it is essential that the products delivered through the reel sections be separated from one another so that the flour may not be commingled with the middlings or coarser materials. It has been proposed to separate the mill into flour-producing and middlings-producing sections by means of partitions which would divide the flour-producing section from the middlings-producing section, but difiiculty has been experienced in effectively separating these two sections so .that there would be no transfer of middlings products to the flour-producing section.

Since the bolting reel is continuous through the two sections of the mill, sealing means must be provided which will effectively prevent this transfer, and the sealing means which I have invented and which I will now describe in detail has proved very eilicient in this respect I In the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification, I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention, although it will be understood that this is merely illustrative and in nosense restrictive, as the invention may be worked out by means other than those shown without departing from the spirit of my invention. w

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a bolting. reel showing the flour-producing section and the scalper or middlings-producing section at its finishing end. Fig. 2 is a transverse section to show the partition and ring. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the partition ring. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a slightly different form of the partition ring. Fig. 5 is still another adaptation of my invention. Fig. 6is adetail view to show the adjustable fabric.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, like numbers indicating like parts in the several views, 10 indicates the bolting reel mounted within any suitable mill casing and having'the flour-producing section ll and the scalper or middlings-producing section 12.

The mill is provided with a partition 15 which separates the flour-producing section from the scalper or middlings-producing section, this partition being provided with openings 16 through which the bolting reels pass.

It is obvious that it would be impracticable to fit the reel so closely to the openings 16 as to prevent. transfer of flour and middlings products past the partition, and while various expedients-have been adopted for sealing the openings, such devices have not met with entire success.

According to my invention, 1 provide the partition 15 with a sealing ring 17 adapted to be secured to the partition and about the reel so as to close the openings 16 and very effectually seal the flour compartment-and the middli'ngs compartment from each other. The ring 17 may be made in various ways, but a convenient construction is to provide arigid body portion formed, as shown, of a plurality of members 18 between which is gripped an annulus of fabric 19 so as to give an inwardly projecting fabric fin which contacts with the covering of silk or other material on the dresser, the contact between the fabric fin and the dresser being intimate v nough to prevent any transfer between the flour and middlings compartments.

While in the preferred form the partition ring 17 will be secured to the partition 16 with its fabric annulus in contact with the surface of the bolting reel, it is obvious that this construction might be reversed, and as shown in Fig. 4c the ring 21 may be secured directly to the reel by any suitable fastening means serving to connect it with the metal bars of the reel, and the fabric annulus 22 instead of being placed interiorly of the ring will be arranged on the exterior of therring 21 so that it will contact with the periphery of the opening 24, as shown in Fig. 4:, or it may bear on the side wall of the partition 25, asshown in Fig. 5.

The sections 18 of which the body portion of the ring is formed'are preferably held together, as shown, by suitable fastening devices, as screws, so as to firmly clamp the fabric in place, and in order that-adjustment of the fabric may be effected so as to coinpensate for any wear and insure a tightly sealed opening I preferably provide the v fabric sections with slightly elongated slots 26, which will permit radial adjustment of the fabric sections to take up any wear which may occur, as shown in Fig. 6.

This partition ring is found in practice to very efficiently prevent the transfer of products, and by its use I am enabled to do away with some of the cumbersome devices heretofore used, and among which may be noted an inclosing casing with which it has been proposed to house the scalper in order to prevent this transfer of products.

It will be understood, of course, that variations within the range of mechanical skill may be made from the structure herein illustrated and described without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. In a bolting reel, the combination with .a' rotary circular mesh-screened reel having a flour-separating section and a middlingsseparating section, of a partition having an opening through which the body of said screened reel extends, and a flexible strip provided about the opening in the partition and adapted to adjust itself to the irregularities in the screened surface of the rotary reel.

2. In a bolting reel, the combination with a rotary circular mesh-screened reel having a flour separating section and a middlingsseparating section, of a partition having an opening through which the body of said screened reel extends, and a sectional sealing ring about the opening in the partition comprisin a rigid body portion and a circumferentially disposed annulus of fabric removably carried thereby and radially adjustible thereon, said annulus being flexible whereby it may adjust itself to the irregularities in the screened surface of said rotary reel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LUCIUS FREEMAN LITTLE. Witnesses GERTRUDE M. STUCKER, C. H. F ESLER. 

